Garage Door Problem

[Wendell Wilkerson]

My gargage door opener stopped working today. I figured out that a couple of the sheet metal screws that attached one of the hinges to the door had stripped out (see attached picture). This caused the door to bind when closing. I was thinking of cutting away part of the sheet metal so I could get access to install some nuts and bolts. Do any of y'all think this will cause any problems? Also, can someone recommend a dry lubricant to use on the screw drive mechanism of the door opener?

Wendell

[Don Abele]

Wendell, I had the same thing happen to me several years ago. I fixed it by reattaching the hinge using pop-rivets. I already owned the gun (air powered) and just bought rivets to match the diameter and depth. A hand operated gun is cheap, as are the rivots themselves and they really come in handy. Those rivots I installed were still holding tight 2 years later when I moved.

As for dry lubricant, the opener I had then recommended graphite. I applied it once and 3 years later it was still working smooth (even with all the sawdust on it).

Be well,

Doc

[John Christiansen]

My gargage door opener stopped working today. I figured out that a couple of the sheet metal screws that attached one of the hinges to the door had stripped out (see attached picture). This caused the door to bind when closing. I was thinking of cutting away part of the sheet metal so I could get access to install some nuts and bolts. Do any of y'all think this will cause any problems? Also, can someone recommend a dry lubricant to use on the screw drive mechanism of the door opener?

Wendell


Yup, I think you'll weaken that gusset considerably if you cut any of it away to gain finger access to that spot.

You could use the pop rivets like don suggest, sounds like a good idea to me. And even if they do fail, just drill them out and try something else.

Or just go with larger sheet metal screws.

But the way I approach things like this at work is to super glue the nut on the end of a piece of safety wire, bend it around to the right position and reach back in there with it. Once the nut is started onto the bolt, work the wire back and forth until it comes off, then reach back in with an end wrench. Voilà! Done it dozens of times, works like a champ.

J.C.

[Wendell Wilkerson]

John's idea of using a nut super glued to a piece of wire gave me some inspiration. I taped a nut into a box wrench with blue painter's masking tape. Worked like a charm and the door opener is now working just fine. Before I fixed the door, I called a local garage door company to see what they would charge me to fix the problem. The guy at the shop basically told me that my "builder's grade" door wasn't worth fixing and that I should buy a new $650 door from them. Let's see, I spent $0.30 at Home Depots for the nuts and bolts, I just saved myself $649.70. Maybe I should try to get SWMBO to let me spend the money I saved on some tools :) Thanks for the help guys.

Wendell